Ottawa Archbishop on obedience to Humanae Vitae

Archbishop Terrence Prendergast of Ottawa last week spoke at the convocation of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy in Barrys Bay Ontario on Pope Paul VI's encyclical letter Humanae Vitae saying that "Time has shown it to be a gift from Christ to men and women everywhere". Catholics leaving the event said that they had been waiting 25 years to hear such teaching from an Archbishop. In the course of his address, he said,
"The encyclical gives the Church a deeper understanding into the beauty of married love and responsible parenthood. It offers a clearer understanding of the harm of contraception and the great value of Natural Family Planning (NFP). Further, it challenges married couples, healthcare professionals and clergy to live and teach these profound truths about human sexuality and dignity."
He also reminded clergy of their duty of obedience of mind and will to the teaching.

Today, I think that one important point to get across to the young is that they have been lied to regarding the effectiveness of contraception. It is presented for practical purposes as though it were 100% effective in preventing pregnancy and STIs. In fact, most of the women presenting with "crisis pregnancies" and wanting an abortion are already using one or more methods of contraception. In maternity wards there is also a significant percentage of women who have been using contraception of one form or another.

Even if there were a form of artificial contraception that was 100% effective, it would be wrong to use it in order to make the marriage act a sterile, purely recreational activity; but the fact is that there is no such 100% effective contraception and so there is always the possibility that this natural and God-given act will result in the end for which it was created.

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